🧬 The Felid Wiki — 3,000 research summaries

Newborn kittens cannot hear well because their ear canals are closed at birth, and hearing develops over the following weeks. This overview surveys feline auditory development, beginning with the open…

How much energy a cat needs at rest and in daily life is fundamental to its biology, and this overview reviews feline basal metabolic rate and energy expenditure. Like other mammals, cat metabolic rat…

Domestication reshaped cat behavior, reducing fear of humans and increasing tolerance and sociability, and genetics is beginning to reveal the underlying changes. This overview surveys evidence that s…

Beyond anatomy and genetics, behavioral tests reveal how keenly cats can detect and discriminate odors. This overview surveys studies and observations of feline olfactory acuity, including the use of…

Because cats evolved to conceal vulnerability, they display pain through subtle behavioral changes rather than obvious distress, and research has cataloged the signs, including reduced activity and ju…

Establishing that an animal sees color requires showing it can discriminate hues independent of brightness, a demanding behavioral test. This overview surveys studies that trained cats to choose color…

Cat domestication followed an unusual, largely commensal path, and this overview surveys research on the behavioural traits associated with it. It covers reduced fear and aggression toward humans, inc…

Kittens are altricial and pass through a rapid, well-characterised sequence of behavioural milestones. This overview surveys research on kitten development, from the early reliance on thermal and olfa…

The first months of a kitten's life involve rapid behavioural change, and this overview surveys research charting that development. It examines the emergence and maturation of sensory abilities, locom…

Comparing the domestic cat with its wild ancestor illuminates how domestication has reshaped behaviour. This overview surveys research contrasting African and European wildcats with domestic cats in t…

Much of feline temperature regulation is behavioural, and this overview reviews how posture and microhabitat choice keep cats comfortable. Cats curl up tightly to conserve heat and reduce exposed surf…

Localizing sound in the horizontal plane depends on comparing the signals reaching the two ears, and cats exploit these binaural cues effectively. This overview surveys interaural time and level diffe…

The physics of how a falling cat rights itself without any initial rotation has fascinated scientists for over a century. This overview surveys the biomechanics of the maneuver, in which the cat bends…

A common interpretation of bitter taste is that it warns animals away from toxic or harmful compounds, and this protective role likely applies to cats. This overview surveys how feline bitter sensitiv…

Cats retain the ability to taste bitter compounds, supported by a family of bitter taste receptor genes. This overview surveys what is known about the feline bitter receptor repertoire and its likely…

Barren or unpredictable indoor environments can leave cats understimulated and chronically stressed, with effects on behaviour and health. This overview surveys research on indicators of boredom and s…

Selective breeding for a flat, shortened face in Persians and related breeds produces brachycephaly, and this overview surveys its welfare consequences. It examines how extreme facial conformation is…

Modern cat breeds emerged recently from broadly distributed random-bred populations, and this overview surveys research reconstructing their ancestry and relationships. It examines genetic studies tra…

Mammals can generate heat without shivering, and this overview reviews the role of brown adipose tissue in feline heat production. Brown fat produces heat directly through specialised metabolism rathe…

Buprenorphine, a partial opioid agonist, became a widely used analgesic in cats, valued for its efficacy, duration, and the practical feature that it can be absorbed through the oral mucosa, allowing…

Feline calicivirus has been associated with caudal stomatitis, inflammation in the back of the mouth that is a hallmark of chronic gingivostomatitis, leading researchers to investigate the virus's rol…

In addition to facial whiskers, cats possess carpal vibrissae on the underside of the wrists, or carpi, of the forelegs. This overview surveys these lesser-known tactile hairs and their proposed role…

Cities support large free-roaming cat populations sustained by food subsidies, and this overview surveys research on what determines their density and carrying capacity. It examines how food availabil…

Cat allergy is common, driven largely by the protein Fel d 1, and this overview surveys the science of feline allergens and efforts to reduce human exposure. It examines how Fel d 1, produced in saliv…

Some jurisdictions, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, have introduced cat curfews or containment requirements to protect wildlife, and this overview surveys research on their rationale and ef…

Understanding what cats actually eat in the wild relies heavily on analyzing scats and stomach contents, and this overview surveys that body of dietary research. It examines how researchers identify p…

Cats produce a range of facial movements, and research increasingly treats these as communicative signals. This overview surveys work cataloguing feline facial expressions in affiliative, defensive an…

Companion animals are widely believed to benefit human health, and cats specifically have been the subject of epidemiological and psychological research. This overview surveys studies on associations…

The quality of the cat-human relationship depends on both the cat's and the owner's characteristics, and this overview surveys research linking feline personality to relationship outcomes. It covers h…

The environment shapes how and how much cats vocalize, with implications for welfare assessment. This overview surveys research comparing vocal behaviour of cats in shelters, catteries and homes, wher…